This is the second book of the series and I have to stay it's leaps and bounds ahead of the first, John Dies in the End. I really wish this was a movie and could see a trilogy series with a Bruce Campbell type character paired with Wong's style. Loved everything about it.

I listened to this book right after listening to John Dies in the End. I loved the other book, and I enjoyed this one. I don't think the story was as good in this book as it was in the prior, but I still enjoyed it a lot, just not as much. If you liked the first one, this book is certainly worth a listen and a credit.

If you’ve listened to books by David Wong before, how does this one compare?

The last book I listened to was "John Dies at the End" and I REALLY enjoyed that book. There were so many elements of it that just clicked for me. It was/is so fun, fresh, funny, odd ball, horrible (in a good way), surprizing and really well narrated.So I guess that the bar had been set pretty high when I started this book. The greatest disappointment was the change in narrators. Stephen R. Thorne (narrator of John Dies at the End) was just excellent in his depiction of the characters - especially the character of John, whom he plays as a down key sort of guy, I really liked that. All his other character's voices are well defined and you are able to tell them apart and visualize them. The narrator of this book, Nick Podehl, does exactly the opposite and John is more hyper and yells allot. It is extreemly jarring going from one book to the next. As well, many of his character voices sound the same so I sometimes was lost in what was happening in conversations - who is saying what. His female voices are straight out of a bad Saturday Night Live skit, just horrible and all the same. Ok I get that maybe they might have had difficulty getting back the narrator of the first book - maybe it was life, schedules, whatever - but WHY chose a new narrator whose style is so very different and is just not as skilled? So VERY disappointing. Also gone was allot of the humour and fun. I get that more serious things happen in this book, but I think it is at the forsaking of the characters personalities. Possibly the author was trying to end the series and show some growth in his characters - but it just felt wrong and fell flat for me. Sometimes I caught myself silently growning and wanting to smack my forehead. There is a death at the end that was just completely unnecessary and made me very angry. Really angry. That was just bs. Just horrible. You know what? I’m still angry. If I can ever figure out a way of deleting it from my audio book I will. It however may not be necessary as I doubt I will ever be listening to it again. By the way, since buying John Dies at the End a few months ago, I have listened to it three times. Ok what did I like. Some of the humor was ok. Some of the ideas were fun, interesting, refreshing. To be honest I was sort of relived when it was over. Also I waited at least a month after listening to this book so that I could have some time to really reflect on what I liked and what bothered me.

What aspect of Nick Podehl’s performance would you have changed?

I would have replaced Nick Podehl with the narrator of the first book "John Dies at the End" - Stephen R. Thorne

I definitely would. I enjoyed the book quite a bit (and multiple times), however I spend much of my time driving and this is a very convenient way to listen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of the characters are great and relatable in many different ways, but it's a fair bet that my, and many other peoples favorite character, is John. If you've read or listened to this book or the one that came before it, John Dies At The End, you'll know why.

What does Nick Podehl bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

With Nick reading the story, and doing a fantastic job of it, you actually get more of a performance than just a story read to you. He brings unique voices to the table that sound like what you imagine the characters would sound like while reading the book.

If you could rename This Book Is Full of Spiders, what would you call it?

"David Wong's Second Go-Round: You Don't Need To Read John Dies At The End But You Wouldn't Regret It If You Did"

Any additional comments?

You can probably tell by that renaming question, but I'm partial to John Dies At The End. That's the only reason for this audiobook's story getting four of the five stars. It didn't quite keep up with the original. If I hadn't read JDATE, my mind would still have been blown by This Book Is Full Of Spiders.And I'm not kidding about Nick Podehl's performance. A bad reader with bad voices will pull you right out of the story but Nick made it better.

This is horror comedy where both elements are done well. It refuses to be cliche, and is rarely predictable.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Molly the dog, because she's the only one who is truly an innocent.

Which scene was your favorite?

There's a part where a monster is formed out of a bunch of live turkeys. Without giving details, it is disgustingly disturbing one moment, then absurdly funny the next. Like much of the rest of this book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, but I don't want to give it away.

Any additional comments?

The reading is very good on this production, and there are just occasional touches of audio production that enhance at just the right moments without ever feeling too intrusive. The way the name of the town ("[UNDISCLOSED]") is "clumsily" overdubbed in a different sounding voice was somehow an effect that never ceased to be funny.

author has a knack for saying really interesting or funny things that you just never think of to voice out loud. really good book overall. I planned on getting the 3rd book I liked. after all, pretty sure I saw the movie of book 1. I went ahead & books 1 & 3. it was that good and i don't see how how a movie would have done his book the justice his writing accomplishes.